Long Distance Touring Bike

[worldtourjon]

Ha yea
to be honest I'm not I just don't want my hard earned cash to go in to a fat cats pocket, or end up in the middle of hillbilly central and the whole thing just falls a part (unlikley I know). So long as it goes in a straight line and is reliable I don't care if it's made of bricks...just makes it that little bit harder...therefore that little bit more fun

 

[Tim Bennet.]

Well, you must have some idea what you plan to do between SF and Boston? Are you going to camp? Stay in motels each night? Cool your own food vrs eat out? Do you plan to visit the National Parks or Forests? etc, etc.

If you're going to emulate my friend and do it 'as lightweight as possible', then he found a Trek Mondane to be superbly comfortable and rated tribars as the best accessory he had, as it enabled him to escape from the headwinds.

But if you're going to camp or carry more than a credit card you might want something more substantial.

Whatever you get, the wheels are the most important thing. The number of bikeshops / wheel builders per mile along any route across America are limited. Spend you money on these to get them reliable.

 

[TheBoyBilly]

And there's loads of info on the web on 'how to' fix the mundane things that may easily catch you out like fixing drivetrain problems (think damaged rear mechs for instance) that could be a real problem stuck in the middle of the plains.